[Printed on Vellum | St. Dunstan Edition | Illuminated by Nestore Leoni] Epithalamion

Spenser, Edmund. Epithalamion. George D. Sproul, 1902. Printed on real vellum (recto only), 50 pp. One of 30 copies (18 for the United States, 12 for Europe), printed by The University Press (Cambridge, MA) as part of the St. Dunstan Illuminated Volumes. Limitation page with blanks unfilled for the subscriber’s name and limitation number. Signed by the illuminator, Nestore Leoni, and The University Press. Beautifully illuminated in gold and vibrant colors throughout in a Florentine style, with historiated initials and decorative borders by Leoni. 

Bound in full kelly green morocco by Bayntun Riviere, the covers ruled and framed with a border of large leaf and flower tools. Spine with two bands, title and author to large central compartment, small floral tool to top and bottom compartments. Wide turn-ins with gilt rules and floral and leaf tooling to corners. Light green watered silk doublures and endleaves; top edge gilt. Housed in the original green cloth felt-lined slipcase (worn). Measures approx. 8.75" x 11". Some darkening to spine, small portion of wear to upper 1/2" of front joint, and a very small chip to left edge of upper spine tip. Spot of wear near "H" on spine. Some natural discoloration to the vellum.

One of a series of ten titles from the St. Dunstan series by Sproul, each projected to be rendered in a different historical illumination style (Arabic, Gothic, Renaissance, etc.); initially the work of Ross Turner, though several examples illuminated by Leoni are extant. This copy--with blank limitation and no subscriber name--likely was an unsold example and issued unbound.

To that end, the St. Dunstan project, ambitious to the point of impracticality, required the production of hundreds of uniquely illuminated copies, ultimately leading to significant financial strain and controversy; today, the editions stand as both a striking achievement of the period and a cautionary example of its more extravagant aspirations (Folger Library).

Nestore Leoni (1862–1947) was an Italian illuminator and painter, born at L’Aquila and active primarily in Rome, known for his work in the revival of manuscript illumination at the turn of the twentieth century. Trained in traditional techniques, he produced richly colored, gold-heightened initials and borders in a range of historical styles, particularly Italian Renaissance and medieval models. He gained international recognition for large-scale illuminated commissions, most notably his extensively decorated manuscript of the Declaration of Independence, exhibited at institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Library of Congress (Wikipedia).

WITH original prospectus:

The St. Dunstan Illuminated Volumes: A Revival of the Lost Art of Illumination. New York: George D. Sproul, 1901.8 1/2 x 11 1/4. Pp. [6]. Japan vellum wrappers with lettering in gilt. Limited to 400 copies, "not offered for sale". Text in black italics with captions, headnotes and initial letter in olive. A brief prospectus of the forthcoming volumes that Sproul published soon after to subscribers, noting 10 titles, the illumination by Ross Turner, the printing by University Press (“The University Press…has made a long and careful experimental study of the difficult art of printing on parchment…”), binding by Trautz-Bauzonnet Bindery in double style with hand tooling, and the different styles of illumination appropriate for each work. (Orders were to be accepted only for the full sets!) Browning and some soiling to wraps, foxing to text.